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U.S. EPA TO HOLD MARCH 5 PUBLIC MEETING, SEEK COMMENT ON PROPOSALS TO CONTROL PERSISTENT BIOACCUMULATIVE TOXIC CHEMICALS

Release Date: 3/3/1999
Contact Information: DAVID SCHMIDT, U.S. EPA (415) 744-1578

    SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) will hold a public meeting on Friday, March 5 at its San Francisco office on 75 Hawthorne Street to seek comment on two major initiatives to address persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) chemicals in the environment.

     PBT chemicals such as dioxin and mercury are highly toxic, can remain in the environment for generations and can travel long distances through the air to reach land and water.  PBT chemicals are known to cause a variety of health effects at low doses, including reproductive disorders, cancer, and damage to the nervous system.

     The first initiative the agency is seeking comment on is the EPA PBT Strategy. Specifically, the agency is seeking comment on two documents: "A Multimedia Strategy for Priority Persistent Bioaccumulated and Toxic Pollutants" and "EPA Action Plan for Mercury."  Members of the public will be invited to comment on the agency's PBT strategy from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

     The second initiative the agency is seeking comment on is the PBT Toxics Release Inventory Rule. This proposed rule will add certain PBT chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory and lower the reporting thresholds for PBT chemicals.  The Toxics Release Inventory is a public database of toxic releases to the air, water and land from certain industries.  This proposed rule will lead to greater reporting of environmental releases of a number of PBT chemicals, including dioxin and mercury, and will further expand the public's right to know. The public is invited to comment on the Toxics Release Inventory rule from 1 pm to 4 pm.

     There will be an additional opportunity to comment on both proposals from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.   For information on the EPA PBT Strategy, contact Sam Sasnett at 202-260-8020, or visit the following Website: https://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pbt

     For information on the proposed PBT Toxics Release Inventory rule, contact Daniel R.
Bushman at 202-260-3882, or visit https://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TRI/1999/January/Day-26/tri1749.htm
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